Most people know about the benefits of exercise and how they strengthen the bones of muscles. Though, they are unaware of the significance of physical activities to maintain healthy bones and muscles. The major reasons for weak bones and muscles can be aging, injuries, or a weak immune system.
In this article, we will discuss how exercise strengthens bones and muscles, the benefits of bone strengthening activities, and the long-term effects of exercise on bones and joints.
Highlights:
5 Benefits of Bone Strengthening Activities
1. Athletic Performance:
Bone strengthening activities help to increase bone density and strength. The high-impact weight-bearing exercises such as stair climbing, tennis, running, and jogging are helpful to build and maintain strong bones and muscles. Regular exercise provides athletic performance in long term even in aged people.
2. Prevent Joint Pain:
People who regularly perform bone-strengthening activities are less likely to have joint pain. Regular exercise helps to maintain the mobility of the joints. These exercises keep the joints intact and lubricated which helps people to prevent joint pain.
Exercise is essential for people with arthritis as it increases flexibility and strength to combat fatigue. If you exercise regularly, you will get long-term benefits in your joint pains.
3. Increase Muscle Strength
Bone strengthening exercises are highly advantageous when it comes to increasing muscle strength. These exercises not only increase muscle strength but also increase but result in better health. Increase muscle strength helps you to perform your daily activities more precisely.
4. Muscle Coordination
Muscle coordination is essential for you to generate power through your moves. Bone strengthening exercises help to improve muscle coordination that improves motor learning and cycling tasks. Muscle coordination helps in the distribution of muscle torque among the muscles involved in motor activities.
5. Balance
When the bones are strong, your body balance also gets improved. Bone strengthening exercises help people who suffer from an imbalance of their body that results in an improper body posture. People who exercise regularly are capable of balancing their body posture more precisely especially in their old age. Without proper muscle balance, there is a risk of several joint pains and muscle soreness.
Long Term Effects of Exercise on Bones and Joints:
People who exercise regularly throughout their life are less likely to face problems with their bones and joints. The concept of “using physical activity to improve bone health” has emerged as a practical method for maintaining and restoring skeletal function and structure. Physical activity can play a role in slowing the onset of osteoarthritis (OA) by modulating the bone-and-cartilage remodeling process.
Exercise training may enhance synovial function, bone metabolism, inflammation, or other pathways related to the onset and maintenance of osteoarthritis (OA). It may also prevent some factors that cause or contribute to OA. Strengthening exercises such as weight training or swimming improve function and increase pain relief in those with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Low levels of physical activity have been associated with an elevated risk of developing RA.
Aerobic exercise can significantly enhance the physical performance of bones and muscles, in addition to being good for your heart. Several recent studies have demonstrated that long-term exercise can help build new bone cells, known as osteoblasts, which then deposit new bone on the outside of the existing bone. Both low- and high-intensity aerobic exercise helps to enhance bone mass.
Resistance training is highly effective in improving bone mass and quality of life especially with postmenopausal osteoporosis, which can help prevent fracture. Furthermore, long-term participation in strength training improves bone mineral density and decreases the risk of hip fracture in postmenopausal women.
What are Bone Strengthening Exercises:
There are different types of Bone strengthening exercises, it depends on what exercise you do to gain strength and density. The most popular is resistance training (bicep curls, etc.) as it builds more lean muscle. It also provides other benefits like reduced fat around the belly, lower risk of bone fractures, increased blood flow to muscles, faster metabolism, better mood, improved quality of life, etc. The following are the examples of some bone-strengthening exercises:
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Dumbbell press
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Leg press
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Standing push-ups
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Barbell squats
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Walking lunges
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Step-ups
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High knees
Conclusion:
Exercises play a major role in strengthening your bone and muscles. Especially, if it is done for long term. It is important to make a routine for physical activities because it keeps your muscles and bones intact and provides various long-term benefits.
Dr. Kundan K Jha
MBBS - DNB Orthopaedic Surgery - FIJR, FIAS
Dr. Kundan Kumar Jha is a Sport Injury Specialist,Sports Medicine Surgeon and Joint Replacement Surgeon in Banjara Hills, Hyderabad and has an experience of 7 years in these fields. Dr. Kundan Kumar Jha practices at Regenio Lakki Scope Orthopaedics in Banjara Hills, Hyderabad. He completed MBBS from UCMS in 2015 and DNB - Orthopedics/Orthopedic Surgery from National Board of Examination, India in 2020.